A CROSSFLATTS man has appeared in court to deny attacking an elderly woman as she walked her dog along a canal towpath.

Adrian Tinkler, 49, appeared at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates’ Court yesterday to plead not guilty to a charge of assault by beating.

The incident is alleged to have occurred on the towpath near Canal Road in Bingley, alongside the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, on September 11.

The case was adjourned ahead of a trial set to take place at the same court on December 16.

The court heard that Tinkler, of Queens Road, will undergo psychiatric assessments ahead of the subsequent hearing.

District Judge Richard Clews granted Tinkler conditional bail.